How many times does the bible say "do not be afraid" in some kind of way? 365 according to the internet. I admit, I have not verified these sources, nor have I taken the time to look for myself. Sorry Dr. Sanders. Anyway, that's pretty cool if true. One for each day of the year.
Fear is what's called a base emotion. It's a building block for more complex emotions to grow out of. This is the part where I talk about fight or flight and describe the accompanying biochemical reactions that ignite our nervous system. blah blah blah. You've heard all of this before. Fear is probably the most powerful emotion that we can experience and it impacts how we think, feel, and behave. So...its a base emotion that other more complex emotions/feelings grow out of. It's the most powerful emotion that we experience and it heavily influences how we think feel and behave. And...God says don't do this. He says it ALOT.
So you feel things. God hardwired you to feel things. Some of you may not like it but it's true. Fear is something that can be experienced everyday. Fear can either trigger a quick fight-or-flight response, like an intense moment of panic, or it can persist as a subtle undercurrent. Lets talk about this kind of fear. The fear that can slowly suffocate, bear down upon, and drown out your ability to see all the reasons you should not be afraid. You ever experience anything like this? Most of the time it's about things ahead of us or things that are out of our control. Sometimes we can't even identify what IT is exactly. Sometimes it's just there doing it's thing. Asshole.
About a year ago I realized just how bad fear had its hooks in me. It was the subtle suffocating kind. Felt more like an elephant on my chest actually. I knew what IT was but it wasn't something that I had the ability to change. Now I can see that is exactly what God intended. Maybe one day i'll write more about the IT but i'm going to pivot to what I do.
As Christians, we have to believe it when God says do not be afraid for I am with you. It means just that. You can choose to not be afraid because He is with you. Sometimes we focus too much on therapeutic modalities and neglect the simple biblical truths. The truth is, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in times of trouble." Psalm 46:1. A refuge requires YOU to seek shelter. The imagery there is that YOU must take shelter as if you are fleeing a storm. Just think about that. What does that look like? Does a refuge stop the storm from raging? Hell no. Can you survive while the storm rages on. You bet your ass you can. Read the rest of Psalm 46 on your own. The Lord is with you.
This will be a post in multiple parts because I am not skilled enough to say what needs to be said so concisely. But i'll finish with this. One of my besties sent this reminder to me in a text recently. "We are called to fight the battles in our lives, we have no guarantee of winning them". I have the best of friends. As a Christian dude, sometimes you have to look your friend in the eye, knowing that its a battle that probably will not go well, and say "sack up and fight". Sorry is that too much? Gird up thine loins brethren.
I don't think that God is concerned about outcomes as much we think. Especially in regards to how we respond to our own feelings and fears. Our world is broken, we are broken. The IT that causes our fear may never go away because of the absolute brokenness we live in and contribute to. But maybe when the storm comes we don't rage at God like Lt. Dan on the shrimp boat? Or stand on top of the tower like Saruman trying to control the weather? Maybe we let the storm do what its going to do and take refuge in the one that promises to be a refuge. Maybe, "do not be afraid", means instead of letting the raging rains of the storm hit you in the face...you take shelter. The Lord is with you. No Fear.
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